E-Update for November 10, 2017
Highlights
- This week, the House Ways and Means Committee debated the tax reform plan over four days and adopted two substitute amendments. On November 9, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the House tax reform bill (H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”) by a partisan vote of 16-24.
- On November 9, Senate Republican leadership and the Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee released the Senate tax reform proposal. A markup of the Senate tax reform proposal has been scheduled for November 13.
- On November 3, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) released for comment the reporting tool that states will use to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Tax Reform
House Committee Approves Tax Reform Plan; Senate Introduces its own Tax Reform Plan: This week, both the House and Senate were focused on advancing tax reform legislation. Senate Republican leadership and the Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee released the Senate tax reform proposal on November 9, while the House Ways and Means Committee approved the House tax reform bill (H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”) the same day by a partisan vote of 16-24. Prior to the House bill being favorably reported out of committee, the House Ways and Means Committee debated the tax reform plan over four days and adopted two substitute amendments that included changes to restore the Adoption Tax Credit and to increase the threshold at which certain private colleges and universities are subject to a 1.4% excise tax. The summary of the initial substitute amendment is here and the second substitute amendment is here. Regarding the Senate tax reform proposal, a markup has been scheduled for November 13. The Senate tax reform bill differs from the House tax reform plan in that it expands the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $1,650, which is $50 above the House tax reform plan; eliminates a deduction for State and local taxes and, unlike the House, does not continue an individual deduction for real property taxes paid up to $10,000; does not include the elimination of certain higher education deductions or exclusions from income; and does not consolidate the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), the Hope Scholarship Credit, and the Lifetime Learning Credit, as in the House tax reform plan. A high-level summary of the plan can be found here and the full plan here. Additionally, a video of Chairman Hatch outlining the Senate tax reform plan on the Senate floor can be found here.
Congress:
Senate:
Democratic Senators Outline Requested Funding for Disaster Aid Package: 28 Democratic Senators sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney outlining funding that they would like to see in a comprehensive disaster aid package, such as funding for Head Start programs, Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and McKinney-Vento services. The letter is available here.
November 3, 2017
House:
Chairwoman Foxx Pens Op-Ed on the Future of the Higher Education Act: Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Virginia Foxx (R-NC) published an op-ed in the Independent Journal Review titled “Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vision for Higher Education No Longer Serves Students.” In the op-ed, Chairwoman Foxx argues that the Higher Education Act needs to not only be reauthorized, but also rethought, with a “sharper focus on promoting innovation, access, and completion.” Chairwoman Foxx also states that student aid should be simplified, and that the federal role in higher education should be limited.
November 8, 2017
House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Anti-Semitism on Campuses: The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Examining Anti-Semitism on College Campuses” to address the nature of anti-Semitism on college campuses and how current civil rights laws address this issue. More information can be found here.
November 7, 2017
Administration:
U.S. Department of Education (USED):
USED Proposes Changes to the ESSA State Data Reporting Tool: USED published in the Federal Register a notice seeking comments on revisions to the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR), which is the required annual reporting tool for each state as authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Comments are due by January 2, 2018. Supporting statements to the notice which provide more detailed information on the school year 2017-2018 collection can be found here. Forms and instructions that will be used for the collection for data reporting can be found here.
The notice states that there are significant and substantive changes between the school year 2017-18 collection and the school year 2016-17 collection. The school year 2016-17 collection represented the reporting requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act, while the school year 2017-18 collection aligns with the reporting requirements of ESSA.
November 3, 2017
National Blue Ribbon Schools Honored by USED Secretary DeVos: Secretary DeVos honored the 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools during an award ceremony in Washington. The award recognizes schools for their overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Secretary DeVos also praised the winners for their personalized learning and hands-on educational opportunities provided to students. Secretary DeVos’s remarks are available here.
November 7, 2017
USED Secretary DeVos Visits Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands: USED Secretary DeVos traveled to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she visited a public elementary school in San Juan and a public high school in St. Thomas. She also met with local officials during her visit, including Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló and Secretary of Education Julia Keleher, as well as Governor of the Virgin Islands Kenneth Mapp.
November 8, 2017
USED Names Neg. Reg. Committee Members: USED released the names of the members that were chosen for a Negotiated Rulemaking panel that will convene to discuss replacing the existing gainful employment regulation. The Negotiated Rulemaking committee will begin meeting on December 4.
November 9, 2017
USED Announces Four Project SERV Grants: USED announced that it has awarded a $2 million Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant to the Texas Education Agency and plans to award $2 million SERV grants to the Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Departments of Education to assist K-12 schools and institutions of higher education that are recovering from hurricane damage.
November 9, 2017
Upcoming Events:
- On November 13, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a markup on the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” More information is available here.
- On November 13-15, USED will convene the Negotiated Rulemaking committee to replace borrower defense to repayment regulations, which set the rules for borrowers to have their student loans forgiven if they attended schools that misled them or engaged in other fraudulent activities.
- On November 14, the House Subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs will hold a joint hearing called “Regulatory Reform Task Forces Check-In: Part II” to examine agency implementation of President Trump’s Executive Orders on regulatory reform. The first hearing of the series was held on October 24. More information is available here.
- On November 15, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will hold a full committee hearing on the following nominations for USED positions: Mitch Zais to be Deputy Secretary and Jim Blew to be Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. More information is available here.
- Previously, President Trump had also nominated Timothy Kelly to be Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education. However, on November 9, his nomination was revoked by the administration due to remarks on Kelly’s blog regarding Muslims and travel.
- On November 13-17, International Education Week 2017, a week to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, will be held. A video message from Secretary DeVos can be found here. More information is available here.
Publications:
- On November 7, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) led Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee in releasing a new report called “The College Affordability Crisis in America.” The report outlines the increasing cost of a college education in the United States and highlights several approaches that Congress can take to help alleviate this financial burden for students. The report can be found here.
Legislation:
H.R.4307
A bill to provide for temporary emergency impact aid for local educational agencies.
Sponsor: Rep. Peter King (R-NY)
H.R.4274
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for accreditation reform, to require institutions of higher education to publish information regarding student success, to provide for fiscal accountability, and to provide for school accountability for student loans.
Sponsor: Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
H.R.4272
A bill to include community partners and intermediaries in the planning and delivery of education and related programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI)
S.2087
A bill to promote and ensure delivery of high-quality special education and related services to students with visual disabilities or who are deaf or hard of hearing or deaf-blind through instructional methodologies meeting their unique learning needs, to enhance accountability for the provision of such services, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA)
S.2084
A bill to include community partners and intermediaries in the planning and delivery of education and related programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
S.2081
A bill to amend the loan counseling requirements under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)